


Matched

by Odds_Evens



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Brotherly Love, Genji Shimada is a Little Shit, M/M, Rating subject to change, Soulmate AU, Young Genji, Young Hanzo, Young McCree, background OCs - Freeform, i love how that's a tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-23 04:42:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8314315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Odds_Evens/pseuds/Odds_Evens
Summary: Jesse McCree is a lucky son of a b-. He survived the Deadlock Gang, escaped a life in prison, and is one of a handful of people with the name of his soulmate written on his wrist since birth. Hanzo Shimada has been looking for his soulmate since birth. 19 long years later, he finally has a match. Shame his soul mate wants nothing to do with the son of a gang leader.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I posted the idea behind this AU on tumblr and got an INSANE response. Ya'll are some thirsty people. 
> 
> But I'm pretty friggin in love with soulmate AUs and this one is my favourite so far so I hope you enjoy!

Each and every Overwatch base was built with two purposes in mind. The main purpose: as a living and training area for the world's best and brightest, a place for them to call their home away from home while still maintaining the regiment necessary when you were fighting the acts of God and monstrous men. The secondary purpose was limited to the main entrance and a few side offices with the best views each location could offer. Basically: to keep up appearances and appeal to the world media each chance they could.

That's what got Jesse into this mess in the first place.

"Show off your soulmate mark, Jesse." The 18 year old cowboy whines, boots kicked up on the spotless table in front of him, arms crossed in annoyance. "It'll be fun, Jesse! Nothing'll come of it any how!"

He does a full body flinch as his hat is suddenly pushed over his face, nearly tipping his chair over before he regains his balance.

"Feet off the table, chico."

Jesse just scowls as Gabriel and Jack sit down across from him. Gabriel's eyes look tired but he's dressed impeccably in dress blues, medals of valour pinned appropriately and beanie no where to be seen. Next to him, Commander Morrison is dressed similarly, with his bright yellow ear piece still in place. Jesse was supposed to be dressed up as well but he'd threatened to stage a coupe so they let him be. He'd put on some proper dress pants and a clean shirt on though so they should at least be somewhat happy.

As he fixes his hat, he feels more then sees Gabriel scowl. "When the Reader get here that hat had better hit the table and stay there, do you understand?"

"Now why would I do that? They're just a bunch of glorified matchmakers!"

Gabriel's head hits the desk as Jack looks up at the ceiling, as if sending a silent plea to God.

"Jesse, please take this seriously." Jack sighs after a long moment. "Not everyone is lucky enough to be born with a soulmate mark. And even less are blessed with being able to find that person. If this Soul Reader says he's found your partner, you need to at least pretend to be gracious."

Jesse doesn't say anything to that. Instead, he stares down at the strange marking on his left wrist. It's in a language he doesn't understand, kanji, the Reader had explained in the letter. His potential soulmate was Japanese, someone he likely never would have met without help.

In Deadlock, he'd been one of only three people with a soulmate mark on their wrist. The first, an older man in his 50s had the faded mark of a deceased soulmate. Rumour said he'd been married to her for years before illness took her, so at least it had been a happy story at the start. The second was a youngster like him, with a beautifully written Katrina on his wrist. He'd been shot in the head during a weapons deal gone wrong and Jesse still felt sick to his stomach every time he met a woman with a name even similar to that.

Having a soulmate was something he'd never really put much thought into. Of course he'd wondered about his potential partner, but he'd never expected to live long enough to actually meet them. And now...

Now they might just be a phone call away.

It made him feel something in between joy and wanting to throw up.

Jack stiffened as his com jumped to life. He nodded, as if the person on the other side could see him. "Very well, let him in."

He and Gabriel stood up and after a quick look, Jesse stood up as well, gently placing his hat on the table in front of him. He pretended not to see Gabriel's nod of approval.

They didn't have to wait long as the door to the interview room slid open, revealing a well dressed man with a leather briefcase.

Jack approached him first, greeting him with an award winning smile and a hug. "Reader Abraham! Wonderful to see you again!"

"And you as well, Jack! Lovely to see you and Gabriel together as always."

Jesse noticed Gabriel's eye roll and had to stifle a laugh. There were a number of Readers assigned to Overwatch to find their soulmates, but Abraham had the best luck of them all. He'd matched Jack to Gabriel back when they were both soldiers in different armies, and a number of others since then.

"Ah! So this is the lucky young rascal I'm about to rescue from loneliness, is it not?"

He was also a smug bastard and everyone hated him.

"This is Jesse McCree." Jack introduces. "He's excited to meet you."

It's a lie, but told so well even Jesse almost believes him. Still, he decides to behave and put on a smile. "Nice to meet ya, sir."

"And you as well." Abraham smiles, moving to the table and putting his briefcase down. A thumbprint unlocks it and he swiftly removes a tablet and a small folder. "Now I know you are all busy gentlemen so let's get this under way, shall we?"

Even Jack looks relieved at that.

"Jesse, may I see your mark?"

Obediently, Jesse holds his left wrist out, facing up. Abraham takes hold of his arm before scrubbing at it roughly with a sanitation wipe. Jesse cringes at the burn, but doesn't move. He'd never seen it himself, but it was common knowledge that fake marks were a real issue with high profile people. Whoever the Reader had found for him must be someone big.

With a happy hum, Abraham takes a picture of the now red mark with his tablet. He presses a few buttons and after a moment, he's holding the tablet up again to show Jesse a picture.

It's his name, written messily on a pale wrist.

His stomach does a little flip. "Oh, holy shit."

Gabriel clears his throat in warning. "Language, boy."

"Right, oh holy shit, sir."

Jack coughs to cover a laugh. No one's fooled.

Abraham ignores them all as he reads through the number of messages flying past his tablet screen at lightning speed. "Well, it's been decided then! Hanzo Shimada and his guards will be here first thing in the morning."

Jesse nearly loses the use of his legs as they suddenly turn to jelly. "Wait. WHAT?"

\---

Next to the window, Genji Shimada practically vibrates with energy as Geneva finally comes into view through the clouds. For hours they'd been flying with nothing to see but the dark night sky and the occasional cloud, now the morning sun was finally illuminating the beautiful mountainscape as the private jet began to dip down.

The sight was just breathtaking.

Hanzo was still reading.

"Nii-San." Genji whines, wrapping his hands around his brother's arm. "Stop being so boring! Look! Look at the mountains!"

"I have seen mountains before, Genji."

"Not these ones though!"

Hanzo will give him that one, but he still refuses to look up from his book.

"Nii-San."

"What."

"You haven't moved from that page in an hour."

Shit. With a weary sigh, Hanzo finally closes the book, looking at his brother and fighting the urge to punch that smug smile off his face. "I was attempting to organize my thoughts."

"About your soul mate?"

"... Yes."

The jet hits a spot of turbulence and Genji finally settles back into his seat, belt buckled safely. He's dressed for comfort in fleece pants and a sweater with some blonde anime character on it. His shoes are long gone, likely kicked off during the first hour of the flight and Hanzo already knows he'll have to help his brother look for them when they land.

Hanzo's own appearance couldn't be more of his brother's opposite. He wore dark dress pants, with the matching blazer folded against the seat across from him. His shirt was simple, button up, and nearly glowing with cleanliness (despite his brother's attempts during hour two to make him spill his tea).

"Are you worried he won't be attractive?"

Again, Hanzo resists the urge to punch his brother. "Fate would not be so cruel as to do that to me. His appearance does not concern me."

"Yeah. But if he's too pretty we both know you'd get jealous."

This time Hanzo does punch him, playfully. "Don't be an idiot."

"Awful brother! And here I am, on a plane with you, halfway around the world from home-"

"Genji."

"-I woke up in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT to go with you! Leaving behind friends and family-"

"Please stop."

"- All so you wouldn't have to face this alone-

"Why are you like this."

"- Because I am just SUCH A GOOD BROTHER."

"By the dragons!"

"And yet all you do is insult me! ME! Your favourite little brother!"

Hanzo can't help but smile. "You are my only little brother."

"And therefore your favourite."

"I do not think it works that way."

"Of course it does!"

"Hn."

"Rude."

A ding rings out through the plane, and a moment later it begins to descend quickly. Neither brother take notice.

"So when will you be meeting him?"

"It is customary to have the initial meeting somewhere public to keep both parties safe. And to offer either side an exit in case the Reader was incorrect about the match."

Genji makes a face. "He is not incorrect. This is the only Jesse in the world with a Japanese name on his wrist."

"I somehow doubt that."

"If there was, mother and father would have found them all already."

Hanzo has no response for that. It was true that their parents had spared no expense in finding his soul mate. Only one in a handful of children were born with the name of their soulmate on their left wrist. His father told him that it was a gift given from the gods to those who were meant for greatness. A promise of happiness in exchange for their hard work.

His father had of course been born with a mark. A ridiculously common name, that led to years of searches and hundreds of matches before finding his wife guarding her home with a rusted gun. It had been an instant connection for the both of them. When their eldest son had been born with a mark, they vowed to help him find his soulmate.

In 19 long years, this was the first potential match. The first "Jesse" to have "Hanzo" on their wrist. If he wasn't a match, Hanzo wasn't sure who would be more disappointed, himself or his parents.

"What if he does not like me?"

The bodyguards all look back at them as Genji lets out a loud and unattractive cackle. He holds his sides, body shaking with an exaggerated laugh, laughing all the harder when he sees Hanzo's face turning red with a blush. "You are so funny!"

"I hate you."

"Hilarious!"

"You are the worst."

"How could he not like you? You are brave, a strong warrior, and a good looking man. I mean, not as good looking as me, but you are at least a seven."

"You are too kind."

"Maybe an eight if you smiled more."

Hanzo bared his teeth at his brother, humming with amusement as Genji leaned away from him in disgust. "I take that back. Never smile again."

"Thank you."

"I am going to have nightmares for the rest of my life."

"You are a nightmare."

"And yet you love me."

"I wish I were an only child."

"Rude."

Back and forth the banter flowed until the jet came to a stop on the Tarmac. And if Hanzo noticed the loss of his anxiety as his brother took his hand to leave the plane, he stayed silent. He thanked the dragons his father had allowed Genji to travel with him. There was no chance of him getting through his trip without him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabe and Jack struggle to get through to Jesse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Normally I at least self edit my chapters a good six or seven times before positing, but this weekend I'm working on two different film sets over five days. I just finished a 13 hour day, and have to arrive on set at 7 a.m. For another 14 hour day. 
> 
> I was planning on just finishing my film work before writing again, but you were all so AMAZING to me and I still can't believe the response this story received. I want you all to know I love you and I want to finish this story in a timely manner!
> 
> So take this chapter and enjoy it. I'm going to go to sleep now. 
> 
> (Jesse's a lil shit and I love him.)

"Jesse J. McCree! You open this door!"

A handful of Blackwatch soldiers stared at their commander as they walked through the hall, but ran off before he could turn his anger onto them. Jessie McCree, despite his age, was an elite member of Overwatch's black ops unit. Being elite came with certain perks... Including his own room with a door reinforced against enhanced soldiers.

"Ingrate! Open this door or I'll kill you myself!"

"You'll kill me anyway!"

"True."

"THAT sure makes me want'a to open it!"

"JESSE MCCREE!"

There's a thump of something impacting the door from the other side. Jesse must have thrown something at it.

Gabriel stops to take a long breath, counting down from twenty to keep from hurling more swears at his youngest agent. "One of these days he'll grow up. One of these days..."

He feels Morrison's presence before he sees or hears him. It's like a blanket of warmth that spreads from his finger tips to his shoulders as Jack comes into view.

"He still in there?"

"No. I just decided to stand out here for no reason."

Jack gives him a deadpan look before bumping him away from the door. "Let me do my thing." He ignores Gabriel's eye roll, taking a moment to breathe before knocking on the door softly."Jesse, it's Jack. Listen, you don't have to go meet Hanzo if you don't want to."

There's silence from the other side of the door before: "I don't believed you."

"I know, but I'm being honest. Gabe and I didn't know who your match was until you did. I never would have pressured you into this if I'd known. I've been where you are. Sometimes fate doesn't match us with the people we want."

Gabriel feels like he's been stabbed. He looks at Jack with hurt, but Jack isn't looking at him. He's focused on the door. The door that's slowly opening.

Jesse stands in front of them, hat drawn low over his face, but not low enough to completely hide the redness of his eyes. His arms are wrapped around his body, his ratty old serape thrown over his shoulders like a comfort blanket. "I'm done with being in a gang. I don't... I don't wanna go join another one."

"We're not going to let that happen to you." Jack promises. "Are we, Gabe?"

Gabe doesn't say anything, he isn't look at either of them. Jesse looks from him, to Jack, and then back to him. After a moment, Jack turns back to Jesse.

"I'll give Abraham a call and tell him that you aren't interested in seeing if you and Hanzo Shimada match. We'll handle the fall out for you."

Gabriel mutters something dark that neither of the other men can hear before turning on his heel and marching away from them. He gets to the end of the hall before Jack catches up to him.

"What was that all about?"

Gabriel's expression is dark, eyes glued to Jack's and full of anger. "How about we go back to that bit about how you got matched with someone you didn't want? Because I sort of want to hear more about that."

Instead of being angry or flustered, Jack has to gall to smile at him. "What, did you think I was talking about you?"

"You been matched with anyone else, Pendejo?"

His tone is teasing. "Three before you, Gabe. Number two was a real piece of work who wanted me to suck his cock even after it was clear we weren't the one for each other."

Gabriel won't look at him, can't look at him. His face is burning as Jack closes the gap between them, forcing his face up with a soft hand. When he meets Jack's blue eyes he can't help himself. "Lo Siento, mi amore."

"I'm sorry too."

"You don't need to apologize."

"I should have explained myself better."

"I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."

They don't embrace. It's too public a space for that, just a soft press of their lips with their bodies barely touching. It's soft, light, and quick. As soon as they come together, they fall back apart, with their bodies still within reaching distance of each other.

Jack speaks first. "The Shimada kid is probably already on his way here. How are we going to break this without causing an international incident?"

"Fake his death?"

"Be serious."

"You're right. We should probably actually kill him."

Jack snorts unattractively before settling into a sad frown. "What are the chances of them not being a match?"

Gabe doesn't even have to think about it. "Honestly, I'd be even more shocked if Jesse's soul mate had been some kind of wallflower living in a tiny town in Indiana."

"... Was that another jab at me?"

"Nah. You're too boring to be a wallflower."

"You two are disgusting."

Jesse leans against the wall next to them, hat pulled low over his face and body relaxed, as if he hadn't just spent the last few hours acting half his age. "Seriously. Get a room or something. Ain't nobody want to see this."

Jack looks suitably chastised, but Gabe only turns his glare onto his young recruit. "Are you done with your temper tantrum?"

Jesse doesn't answer. He just shrugs.

"And are you or are you not going to meet with Hanzo Shimada?"

Another shrug.

Gabe looks up to the sky in annoyance as Jack puts a warm hand on his shoulder. "Jesse, if you don't feel comfortable-"

"No, it's fine. I'll do it or whatever."

Jack and Gabe both let out a relieved smile, only for Jesse to ruin it immediately.

"I'm wearing my hat."

"There's no way in hell, Chico."

\---

Jesse pulls his cowboy hat lower in the front as he slips through the front doors of the restaurant he'd been dropped off at. This was the kind of place he'd never set foot in if given the chance. The kind of place with a carefully enforced dress code, no prices on the menus and a lack of anything with enough spice to please him. Exactly the kind of place he expected some rich, spoiled, son of a gang leader like Hanzo Shimada to like.

The restaurant's host eyed him up and down as he neared the front desk and Jesse suddenly felt overly self conscious. He'd been lent a suit from a friend of Jack's who had a son his size, but it didn't fit completely right. Too loose in some places and too tight in others. The dark blue looked nice on his skin tone, but clashed with his hat. Still, on a night like this, he wasn't about to leave his prized possession behind. He needed it. For luck.

"Jesse McCree... Correct?"

Jesse nodded, swallowing hard and trying to ignore the sudden sand storm that had moved into his mouth.

The host sneered at him but nodded, moving out from behind the desk. "Follow me, if you please. Master Shimada is already waiting."

As soon as they turned into the dining hall, Jesse felt his feet freeze to the ground. The hall was large enough for a hundred tables, with a high ceiling and jazz singer in the midst of a performance.

The entire hall was empty except for a single young man seated at a table in the centre of the room.

Oh this was so much worse then Jesse had been expecting. These first meetings were supposed to be at a neutral, busy place to help both parties feel at ease. Instead, Hanzo Shimada seemed to want to give them the exact opposite of that.

The host stopped when he realized Jesse was no longer following him, and the action pulled Hanzo's attention toward them. His eyes met Jesse's and the whole world just stopped.

They were a match. Jesse knew it deep in his heart the moment he saw Hanzo's face. He wanted nothing more the to run his hands through the man's long black hair, he wanted to know what Hanzo's voice sounded like, what his lips tasted like. He wanted to impress him. He wanted to sing for him and show him the desert at sunset back in New Mexico. He wanted to hear Hanzo talk about himself, about his home. He wanted-

Hanzo smiled, and the world just fell away.

Jesse turned tail and ran.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Genji finds out Hanzo was rejected by his soulmate and his protective brother powers activate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter alone, I have doubled the word count for this fic.
> 
> F- editing. 
> 
> Goodnight everybody.

The penthouse of the five star Matilda Hotel very rarely had any guests. No one paid for the room (even fewer could afford it if so inclined), instead only guests of the Matilda family were allowed to use the suites while in Geneva on business.

The rooms were large, and had a separate chamber for the staff and bodyguards of whomever was occupying the main suite. Genji had never been to Geneva before. He'd rarely even been out of Hanamura, and only ever as far as Beijing. While his brother had spent the day preparing for his meeting, Genji had bounced from club to club with a guard and enjoyed all the city had to offer. He hadn't returned home until the sun was beginning to rise, and only then did he learn about his brother's heartache... from his mother.

"I am disappointed."

If it had been his father on the other side of the line, Genji could have scoffed and pushed the words away. Even if his father were still fighting the lingering cough that had been bothering him for weeks, Genji could be angry with him.

But this was his mother. His mother who sounded tired and worried and had been told their gambit of believing this Jesse was her son's soulmate was wrong. Genji couldn't help but feel as if her words were sending knife after knife straight through his heart. The hangover wasn't helping. It just felt like divine retribution. "How was I supposed to know it wasn't going to work? How many Jesse's can there be in the world anyway?"

"Hundreds." His mother responds with a sigh. "Thousands. Millions. But they may never join a database. Hanzo needed you last night, and you were not there."

She knew exactly what her words were doing to him, but he still couldn't bring himself to be mad at her. She was right. "I tried speaking to him. He won't even open his door."

"I know. He will not return my calls, nor answer your father's. It... is unusual."

"Perhaps send him some boring work to look at it. He loves that!" Genji jokes. "Oh. Speaking of boring work and being grumpy, how is father?"  
  
His mother doesn't laugh, not that he was expecting her to. What he doesn't expect is for her voice to suddenly lower, turning into a hushed whisper. "Genji, perhaps it would be best for the both to stay in Geneva a while longer."

Genji is no stranger to fear. Under his father's training and the realization of his spirit dragon's fear had taken a backseat to recklessness and determination, but all it takes is his mother's words to throw him right back into the darkness of his childhood. "Okaasan?"

Her voice softens into something sweeter, trying to soothe him. "It may be nothing, my little Sparrow. Just indulge your mother's wish. Stay close to your brother, keep him safe."

As if he would ever dare disobey his mother.

\---

Hanzo returned to an empty hotel suite, and immediately fell into his own bed. 18 hours later, he had only moved to use the bathroom and remove his jacket, shirt and belt. His hair was a mess and needed to be combed, his breath likely smelled something awful, and his stomach was waging war against the missed meals.

He could hear parts of his brother's conversation outside when Genji finally woke up from his night out, but didn't care enough to put effort into eavesdropping. His phone was somewhere, probably the bathroom, but Hanzo refused to go look for it.

Jesse...

He'd seen his soulmate for all of ten seconds before being rejected, and yet the other man was all he could think about.

Jesse McCree was beautiful. Messy brown hair below a ridiculous hat, wide eyes and a face so unguarded it almost made his heart hurt. He looked so out of place in the restaurant, obviously from an entirely different world, and Hanzo had never wanted someone so much. He wanted to hear his story, learn more then the small amount he'd managed to look up on his own.

And then Jesse had rejected him.

Hanzo had felt pain before. He'd felt physical pain plenty, and he'd felt emotional pain through the death of his grandfather and various family members. He'd taken lives as part of his training to become the next leader of the Shimada clan and had seen what those deaths had done to his target's families.

Was he selfish for thinking this pain was so much worse?

He'd been rejected romantically. Not many times, but it had happened. However, under the insult and hurt there'd always been the knowledge that his soulmate was somewhere out there. His soulmate wasn't supposed to hurt him like this.

Had Jesse researched him as well? Had he been disgusted by his clan's actions? But if so, why had he even bothered to get as far as the restaurant? There were so many questions, but no way of getting any answers. Soon he and Genji would return home, and he'd never worry about stupid Jesse McCree ever again.

A soft knock on his door roused him from his thoughts.

"Go away, Genji."

"But I have rice."

"I'm not hungry."

"That's bullshit. Unlock this door before you die."

"I am not going to die of hunger after half a day, Genji."

"You don't know that. You are too thin. Okaasan says that all the time."

"She also says you are skinnier than me."

"And I eat all the time. My point has been proven."

Hanzo scoffs at that, and stays put. A few seconds later, his door swings open anyway.

"Did you pick my lock?"

"Not very well. I think I broke it."

Of course he did.

"If you had simply unlocked it when I asked, this never would have happened."

With a groan, Hanzo turns onto his stomach, shoving his head under a pillow and pointedly choosing to ignore his brother.

In turn, his brother decides to jump onto his back, lying on top of him like a lazy cat.

"So when are we putting the hit out on this Jesse? Can we bring him here? Can I watch?"

"We are not killing my soulmate." His words are muffled by the pillow, but they're still audible, and Hanzo only realizes what he's said when he feels Genji stiffen above him.

"What do you mean soulmate? I thought you were not a match?" When Hanzo does not answer, Genji gets off him, lying on his side so his brother can have some space. "What happened last night?"

For a long time, Hanzo says nothing, purposely keeping his head under the pillow, even as Genji tries and fails to grab it from him. Eventually Genji tires of the play fight and instead pulls his brother's tattoo's arm up and over him, so they're hugging.

"He rejected me."

Genji freezes again.

"We were a match. We both saw it. And then he ran away without speaking to me."

Something close to hatred boils in the pit of Genji's stomach. He feels his guardian's spirit fidgeting in distress. "How could he do that?"

"Does it matter? It is done. I cannot ask father to kill him, as it will only give me further pain. I merely wish for the matter to be done with."

The hatred in Genji's gut settles into a cooling protectiveness as his brother finally looks at him, eyes bloodshot and dark. "You look like hell, brother."

"Thank you. Your kind words do much to ease my spirit."

"Really. It's like you got lost in an onion patch and had to cut your way out."

"Okay."

"Like you finished a marathon of mother's silly dramas and became too invested in the main character's love plot."

"Really, Genji?"

"Like father told you I did better then you at anything and you proceeded to hit your toe on a rock and had mother kiss you better in front of everyone."

"... I thought you promised never to speak of that day again."

Genji grins in response and Hanzo finally lets out a soft chuckle. The sadness is not completely gone from his face, but it's progress. With a bounce, Genji is on his feet and pulling Hanzo off the bed. "Come! I will help ease your mind with alcohol and sightseeing! But first you must bathe."

"A bath sounds lovely."

"And call Okaasan as well. She may tear the castle apart if you continue ignoring her messages."

The physical full body wince Hanzo makes at the mention of his mother is beautiful. It shocks another laugh from Genji before he makes his way back to the main room of the suite. "I will go make arrangements for our evening and return soon. Be ready!"

"I will be decent once you return, Genji... thank you."

The thanks nearly deter Genji into lingering, but he resists. "Of course, brother. Enjoy your bath!"

He closes the door behind him and waits long enough to hear Hanzo turning the water on in his private bathroom. Immediately, Genji dives for his room where his sword waits in a scabbard on the shelf. He's out the door before anyone can think to stop him.

\---

When Jesse finally manages to sneak out of his room, his first stop is the running track on the far side of the base. It used to be part of Blackwatch's training route, but was abandoned when Reyes managed to convince the higher ups they deserved something better. Now it was mostly ignored until someone needed to run in peace.

Jesse hadn't really expected to see the familiar blonde running with her head down, but he wasn't disappointed by the sight of her.

Forgoing his stretches, he jogs around the track until he's right behind her. He tries to grab her waist only for her to dodge his attack and twirl away. He grins, his smile matching hers when they finally face each other again.

"Hey Angie. Fancy seeing you here."

"And you." She smiles, english accented heavily but clear. "I hear you are a wanted man."

"Yeah I may have fucked up something royal."

"Do you need assistance?"

He shrugs, making a face. "Maybe. Might be in need of that revival tech you're working on."

She nods, taking his words seriously. "It will be nice to have a test subject."

"You're too good to me, Angie."

"Yes. I know."

He grins again, heart lifting for a moment.

"Do you want to speak on it?"

And back to crushing depths of anxiety and doubt he goes!

He groans before walking over to the nearby bench. She follows, settling next to him as he organizes his thoughts.

"I met my soulmate last night and then ran away when I realized we were a match."

She gasps and moves to slap him. He catches her left wrist before it makes contact, pointedly ignoring the faded name by his hand. Her eyes are already filling with tears, and that hurts him more than her slap would have. "Awful! You are just awful, Jesse McCree!"

"Yeah, I know."

"How could you throw something like this away? Not everyone is as fortunate to meet their soulmate!"

"I know, Angie. I know."

She pulls her arm free, staring down at the faded name sadly.

"Why?"

"That's a damn good question."

He can't look at her, eyes glued to the ground in front of him as he scuffs at the dirt with his heel. He'd been so excited to meet his soulmate when Jack first brought up his match. Gender hand't mattered, nationality, looks... he just wanted to meet the person fate had made for him. He was done with being a bad guy, and now that he was a hero he thought maybe he deserved this. Deserved a chance at happiness.

But a Shimada? Reyes had been tracking the Shimada clan for years. They had enough legal businesses and property to hide behind so it was a tough job, but small Blackwatch ops here and there kept them from getting too invested in the Americas. Jesse had never been a part of those ops, but he knew enough about the Shimadas to know they were bad news.

Fate had a terrible sense of humour to set him up with the family's heir. He didn't know much about Hanzo Shimada, nobody did. But he figured it was safe to say he was spoiled, blood thirsty, and just as vile as the rest of them. He was everything Jesse was trying to leave behind.

"My soulmate is a Yakuza kid. Son of one of the big families over there. The oldest son."

He doesn't need to look at Angela to know his words took the flame out of her anger. "Oh, Jesse..."

"Reyes is ready to skin me alive for running, and even Morrison is out of ideas. I figure I've got until sundown to pack my bags and run before the guy sends his goons to take me out."

Angela gasps, but it isn't at his words. A shadow falls over him, and a second later there's a sword in his face, the tip barely an inch from his throat. The shock nearly throws him backward off the bench. "What in tarnation!"

In front of him stands a young man (a kid, Jesse corrects, realizing the stranger can't be older then him) with the most ridiculous hair Jesse has ever seen. It's bright green, looking even more ridiculous next to his obnoxious orange scarf and white clothing.

"You are a coward!"

Jesse sees red. "Now hold on. Them's fighting words!"

Jesse moves to stand but the sword digs into his neck and makes him sit back down.

"You, Jesse McCree, are a man without honour!"

"Well, obviously! But I ain't the asshole who sent a kid assassin after me!"

It takes the stranger a moment to understand, and when he does his forehead furrows and his sword drops down to a more neutral position. "Hanzo... does not know I am here."

His voice drops at the end, almost sounding embarrassed. Jesse would find it cute if not for the whole threatening his life thing. "Right. And who are you supposed to be, then? His boyfriend or something?"

He gets a flat look in response. "No. Shimada Genji. Hanzo is my brother."

Oh. Oh shit.

"I am here to make you pay for your actions through blood."

Oh shit times infinity.

"Now, partner, there's no need for that."

Genji looks up, a finger on his chin as if considering his words. "Hmm... no, no, there certainly is." He draws his sword back up, a smirk on his face. "Now pick your weapon, Gaijin. Your woman will be our witness."

"I am NOT his woman!" Angela insists, face flushed with embarrassment.

Genji's eyes light up, darting over to Angela before turning a grin on her. "Oh! Well. Once I'm done with this asshole, can I take you out for a drink?"

"Angie here ain't interested." Jesse growls, taking more offence for her sake then the threat on his life. He pulls Peacekeeper free from her holster, glaring at his opponent furiously. "Now draw!"

Before Genji can respond, he looks over Jesse's shoulder and grows fearful. "Oh shit."

A shoe hits Jesse's head before he can turn to look, making his head jolt as a figure pushes past him, a head full of beautiful black hair taking up his line of sight. It takes Jesse a moment to realize he's staring at the back of Hanzo Shimada's head.

He and Genji are speaking to each other in rapid Japanese, Hanzo's hand wrapped around Genji's arm in an attempt to pull him away. Genji fight back before finally breaking free, gesturing at Jesse with contempt. Hanzo's eyes dart over his shoulder and meet Jesse's.

Jesse feels his breath catch in his throat. Hanzo looks so sad, eyes tired and warm. Jesse imagines himself pulling Hanzo close, apologizing for running, begging for another chance. Then Hanzo turns away and the moment is gone.

"I apologize for my brother's actions. We will take our leave and bother you no more."

"We get it." Reyes comments, nearly scaring Jesse half to death. "No harm done."

"No!" Genji insists, pulling free from his brother's grasp completely. "I have challenged him to a duel for your honour! I will not allow this American moron to walk away from his actions without consequence."

"Kid-"

"No." Hanzo interrupts, holding a hand up to silence a shocked Reyes, eyes still narrowed on his brother. "If Genji wishes to act a fool, then he will see his actions through."

Reyes sighs, fingers massaging the bridge of his nose. "No offence, Mr Shimada, but I'm not about to sit by and let your kid brother try and kill my agent."

"Then let it be a fight to first blood. One attack each, if either draws blood then the matter is done." Hanzo draws his eyes to peacekeeper, before following the line of Jesse's body up to his face. Jesse hopes he didn't notice his sucking in his gut and straightening up. "I trust you know how to use that weapon sufficiently?"

Jesse can't help himself. "Darling, you don't know the half of it. I'm a damn miracle worker with Peacekeeper here." Something soft settles into Hanzo's face at the use of the endearment, and Jesse mentally curses himself. "I mean-"

"Enough." Genji interrupts, moving out into the field where a growing group of agents have begun to gather to watch the fight. "Let's begin."

Both boys move to their positions while Reyes whispers something into Angela's ear. She nods and runs back into the building. Neither Shimada pay her any attention. Hanzo steps between the fighters, nodding to each in turn but avoiding Jesse's eye contact completely.

"Begin!"

Jesse almost misses the cue completely, but fortunately Genji seems to be taking time with his attack. He pulls his sword free of the scabbard on his back, drawing a line through the air before performing a complex movement around his body, blade seeming to grow green.

On the sidelines, Hanzo's brow furrows in worry. "Genji, your form-"

"Ryujin no ken o kurae!"

A dragon appears before Jesse's eyes, beautiful and terrifying as it curls around Genji before flying toward Jesse with an open maw.

Jesse is not proud of the noise of fear that escapes from his mouth.

He's even less proud of the shot he fires out of reflex, bullet phasing right through the apparition and hitting Genji right in the face.

The dragon dissolves as Genji falls, but Jesse doesn't notice. He feels the pain in his own chest as Hanzo runs toward his brother. Reyes is on the younger boy in a second as well, holding his own jacket against Genji's face as he screams for a medic.  
  
This time Jesse doesn't run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder that this story is NOT tagged for major character death. Chill.
> 
> Regarding Angela and her dead soul mate: Personally, I enjoy reading Pharmecy and Emergenci fics and the like. But as someone who is focused on career first and doesn't want to be in a relationship... it's kind of important to me to see Angela as a strong, single woman at the top of her career. Let me have this.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Genji Shimada sits in the hospital, Hanzo stays by his side while Jesse fights for a chance to make amends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not meaning for mama Shimada to keep coming into this thing. Dammit Lady, stop being so much damn fun to write! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

A warmth announces Jack's arrival in the hospital waiting area before Gabriel sees him. Jack slams into the room, making an entrance in his full Overwatch Commander getup and visor. He scans the room, eyes coming to rest on Gabriel with first relief, then confusion, then concern.

Gabriel meets him halfway across the room, smiling to himself as they embrace, Jack hugging him tight enough to bruise. "Jack-"

"I was so worried. Angela just said to come to the hospital. That you needed me."

Ah. That explains it. "No, I'm fine. It's Jesse, he-"

"Is he okay? Shit, did the Shimadas come after him?"

"Blanco huevon! Let me finish!"

Jack shuts up, nodding for him to continue.

"Yes, the Shimadas came after him. Well, one of them did. Hanzo's kid brother."

Gabriel watches as Jack mentally shifts through the information they both read up on before Jesse's meeting. "Wait... the teenager?"

"That's the one."

Jack puts things together. "Oh no..."

"Yeah. Jesse was just protecting himself, but the kid's still in surgery and we have no idea if he's going to pull through. Honestly, I doubt the Shimadas are going to let this slide even if the kid makes a full recovery. "

For a long time, Jack stays silent, just holding Gabriel close. Then: "I don't even know what we were expecting. The U.N. Committee is still angry with us for letting Jease into Overwatch in the first place, and now he does this? Hell, even if the Shimadas were in a forgiving mood, no one's going to want Jesse in Overwatch after this."

"Then its a good thing he's in Blackwatch, isn't it?"

Jack gives him a look, part pity part exasperation. "Gabe..."

Gabriel steps away from him. "Don't Gabe me."

"Mi amor-"

"Last I heard, boyscout, you were still the Commander of Overwatch. So why don't you go be the Commander and fix this."

The hurt in Jack's eyes is only there for a second before he blinks and is back to being poised and perfect. "I know you care about him, Gabriel, but there might be no fixing this. I need you to prepare yourself for the possibility of this being the end of the road. I don't want you to get pulled into whatever is going to happen to him."

Gabriel fixes him with a look that could kill. It's the same look that's made mout of his subordinates piss themselves. All Jack does is glare back.

"Just go do your job and I'll do mine. Now if you don't mind, Commander, I'm going to go check on my soldier. Don't wait up."

He marches down the hall away from the waiting room without so much as a look over his shoulder.

\---

The second Gabriel steps out of the elevator he hears the shouting. Specifically, McCree's voice.

"Can't leave you alone for a goddam minute..."

He rounds the corner in time to see one of Shimada's guards socking Jesse across the face with a fist. He steps between the two before the man can do anything worse. "Woah! Woah! What the hell is going on?"

"They won't let me see him." Jesse whines, clutching onto Gabriel's arm like it's a life line. "I just want to say I'm sorry."

"Believe me kid, this isn't the time."

When he looks at Gabriel, there're tears in his eyes. He looks so much younger than 18. "What if there isn't a time after this?"

"Then that's something you live with. Come on. We're leaving."

Jesse gives one last look at the door before nodding and leaning into Gabriel's hold. "Okay... okay. But I want to come back tomorrow."

Gabriel wants to say no, but he already knows Jesse will come back either way.

\---

Genji looks so small, lying in the hospital bed with a tube down his throat. The entire right side of his face is covered in gauze and wrap, part of his green hair shaved off during the surgery. Both his eyes are covered, but Hanzo knows that only one of them remains. A small dent in the wrap shows where part of his skull is missing, with a small tube draining excess fluid from his brain. It's a miracle he made it to the hospital. It's a miracle he made it through surgery. Multiple miracles have left him alive, but in a medically induced coma ever since the fight. 

Hanzo doesn't look up as his brother's nurse enters the room to check on him. For the last week, he'd stayed in vigil at his brother's bedside. Any time someone brought up the idea of Hanzo going home for the night, his glare silenced them immediately. He had to be here... just in case.

"He is so strong." The nurse beside him says with a smile. "Must be because he know's you're waiting for him."

"He is my brother." Hanzo explains in lieu of accepting the compliment. "It is my duty."

"Wish I had a brother like you."

The nurse leaves as quickly as she came, leaving Hanzo with a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach. A good brother never would have allowed Genji to fight his battles. A good brother would have stopped Genji from making such a costly mistake. A good brother would have known what Genji was planning to do and stopped him immediately.

Genji was a good brother. Hanzo was not.

A familiar warmth begins to seep into the room and Hanzo catches himself smiling, realizing that as always, Jesse McCree must be arriving for his own vigil in the hallway. After the first day, Hanzo ordered his guards to allow him to stay, but to keep an eye on him. They didn't need to know his presence calmed Hanzo, even though a wall separated them.

Hanzo glanced at the clock on the wall, surprised when it read ten a.m. Jesse was unnaturally early today. Strange. It wasn't unappreciated, just strange.

As if on que, his phone began to buzz. A glance at its screen left Hanzo groaning before answering the call.

"Okaasan."

"Oh, my eldest son remembers he has a mother."

Despite everything that had been happening this week, his mother was still refusing to let go of the fact that he had refused to answer her calls the morning after his disastrous first meeting with Jesse. "Genji's state has not changed since your last call"

"I am aware. I spoke with your uncle just now. I am calling my eldest son because I wish to speak with my eldest son."

Hanzo's "uncle" in question was actually a distant cousin who no longer carried the name Shimada. He was a doctor in Germany who had travelled to Japan to deliver both himself and his brother. He tended to be their primary doctor whenever one of the boys injured themselves, and had arrived in Geneva only hours after Genji's injury occurred.

"I am fine as well."

"That is a lie. Why do you insist on lying to your mother?"

If Hanzo took after his father in terms of personality, then Genji was almost the exact copy of their mother. Both carefree and always able to bring a smile to the grumpier members of their family tree.

"I lie because I am a terrible son." He admits, playing along with a smile.

"You are, but I still love you." Her voice was warm, exactly what he needs to hear right now. At the start of the week, he'd resented her for not flying to his and Genji's aid the moment she learned of his injury, but common sense reminded him that wasn't a possibility right now. Father was ill, potentially dying, and he needed his wife by his side to protect him and keep news of his sickness at bay. Only Hanzo, his mother and his father's doctor knew how bad the illness had become. Even Genji only believed it was a cough.

"Okaasan..." Hanzo begins before trailing off.

"What is it, my little lord?"

There are so many things he wants to talk to her about, but eventually he settles on one that she might actually be able to help with. "Jesse McCree still insists on staying by the room. Whenever I leave, he follows me like a puppy, but does not speak with me."

"Do you want him to speak with you?"

"He nearly killed Genji."

"That is not what I asked."

"... I am not-. I do not know. I am disappointed when he does not, but I do not feel as if I should want him so close. I feel as if I should hate him."

"Our soulmates are only human." She insists. "When I first met your father, I knew him only as the cruel Yakuza lord who left bodies in the river my family washed in, and whose men I had to protect my sisters from. It was many years before his actions toward me showed me someone I could love."

He knew this story, from both his mother and his father's perspectives. He knew of how the Shimada-gumi had changed under his father's rule to that of a more benevolent entity. They still dealt with weapons and drugs, every family member was trained in the art of assassination and fighting, but their reach of protection finally extended to the citizens in the nearby towns. It made the family all the stronger, with so many eyes willing to look the other way.

"I fear there is nothing Jesse McCree could do to make up for what he did."

"Perhaps." His mother agrees. "But in the meantime, Overwatch has offered us aid in improving Genji's condition."

For a long moment, Hanzo stays silent.

"No, you do not have a say in this, Hanzo. It has been decided, and your uncle agrees with me."

Even countries apart, his mother could read his mind. "Can Overwatch be trusted?"

"One of their soldiers shot a 17 year old boy in the face for no valid reason. It is in their benefit to return him to full health as quickly as possible."

He'll concede the point. "Understood."

"Your uncle will arrive soon with a young doctor from Overwatch. She will explain her treatment to you both and your uncle will act as my proxy. "

"What will you have me do during this meeting?"

"What you are doing now. Continue being the wonderful brother you are and be there for my little sparrow."

His stomach drops again at her words, the relief he felt at hearing his mother's voice completely dashed. He is not a good brother.

"Yes, Okaasan. Give father my best."

"I always do. Be well."

He hung up quickly, hands shaking as he sought out his brother's. He linked their fingers together, squeezing and trying to ignore the sinking feeling when his brother once again failed to respond to his touch.

When the door opened an hour later, Hanzo was next to the window, watching the foot traffic below as people rushed to and from during lunch.

An older man entered the room, in his late 40s with greying hair but no facial hair to speak of. His eyes sagged with exhaustion, but his back was held straight with pride. A Shimada.

"Shimada, Hanzo."

"Honourable Uncle." Hanzo greets with a nod, eyes travelling over to the young blonde woman next to his uncle. She looked familiar but he couldn't quite place it. She was also far too young to be a real doctor. "Forgive me, but who is your guest?"

"Dr Angela Ziegler." She introduces herself with the slightest hint of an accent, smiling at Hanzo softly. "We met briefly on the track last week."

Now he remembers. He saw her next to a darker skinner man before she ran toward the building. She was also the one to push him aside when he fell to his brother's aid, pushing a pad against Genji's face to control the bleeding as she ordered the others around until the ambulance arrived.

"You helped save my brother's life." He relents, deciding to give her some respect. Perhaps she was sone sort of prodigy. "You have my thanks."

Her smile widened slightly, eyes shinning. "I hope to be able to do more if your family will allow me."

"How?"

This time, Hanzo's uncle steps forward. "Dr Ziegler has been developing a unique method of regeneration that uses nano-technology to speed healing."

Hanzo turns his attention to the young doctor. "What are you hoping to accomplish for my brother?"

The shine of happiness in her eyes shifts into determination as she walks over to Hanzo, a photo of an x-ray in her hands. It takes him a moment to recognize the shattered skull as the injury his brother has.

"My tech isn't able to reconstruct the bone, but my friend in reconstruction will be able to create an implant that will replace his lost cheek and eye socket. My tech will help promote his skin and tissue regeneration to cover the implant and make it look like new skin. His eye is another issue, but I have a good friend who has offered to make a top of the line ocular piece that will work with my tech to give him back his sight. I'll also be able to reduce the swelling in his brain which will let us finally wake him up."

That last part gets Hanzo's attention. "And... you are confident this will work?"

She meets his gaze straight on. "Without a doubt."

\---

Jesse is used to watching Hanzo leave the room every few hours to relieve himself or grab a snack. He always follows after him at a safe distance, trying to work up the courage to speak, but always failing. The few times Hanzo bothers to look at him, he looks sad enough to break Jesse's own heart.

Angela left the room early that day, giving his shoulder a soft squeeze before running off after the older doctor who always gave him a dirty look. He didn't mind the glare so much this time. Ever since Angela had met with Hanzo, his mood had felt... lighter, less suffocating. There was still the occasional pang of anxiety that Jesse was beginning to think was just Hanzo's "thing", but he felt so much calmer.

When Hanzo exited the room for a break, he stopped directly in front of Jesse. "Walk with me."

Jesse nearly tripped over himself in his rush to stand. One of the guards gives him a long look, but none of them follow as Hanzo leads them down his regular route to the garden. This time, when Hanzo takes a seat on an empty bench, Jesse sits next to him.

"What do you know of Doctor Angela Ziegler?"

Of all the questions Jesse was expecting, this was not one of them. "Angie? I've known her as long as I've been in Overwatch. She uh... yeah, I guess she was picked up around the same tI've as me. Some sorta prodigy. Made herself a name in the science world from nothing."

"Would you describe her as a good person?"

That makes him pause. "That's a bit of a loaded question, innit?"

The look Hanzo turns on him is part exasperation, but desperation. "Please, answer it."

"What's going on?"

Hanzo looks away from him, across the garden toward where a nurse walks with a man in his wheelchair. They chat away happily, the wind carrying their words away from the couple on the bench.

"She came to me today to talk about a miracle technology she has that may save my brother and give him back his face."

The knot in Jesse's stomach untied itself. "That's great! ... isn't it?"

"I am unsure. I do not understand her motivation behind this. I know Overwatch would like your actions to go away but there are faster... easier, ways to go about it. This feels like too much."

"I get it." Jesse promises, not completely agreeing with him. "And I think I get what you're asking me. But you don't have to worry. Angie... she's like a lot of kids of the omnic war. She lost everything, and she'll do anything to stop that from happening again. If you're looking for a selfish motivation, tell yourself she needs a test subject. But I'm telling you, she's just that kind of a person. She sees your brother in trouble and has a way of helping him. She ain't the kind of person to just let someone suffer."

Visibly, Hanzo only shifts his shoulders down a half inch. But Jesse can feel the tension bleeding out of him. "Thank you."

When Hanzo looks at him again, it's with a something that could almost be a smile. It fades, quickly. "I know you did not mean to harm my brother, yet he is still sitting upstairs in a hospital room." He takes a breath before continuing. "What I do not know, is why you insist on staying by my side during all this. I was under the impression you wanted nothing to do with me."

Jesse feels his heart drop into his stomach. "I'm so sorry, darling. I didn't... I don't..." He doesn't know what to say. To his surprise, Hanzo grabs onto his hand.

"I can feel your distress."

A warmth fills Jesse from where his hand connects with Hanzo's. It seeps into every pore in his body. "That's cause your my soulmate, Hanzo Shimada. And I'm sorry I made you think I didn't want ya. I was a damn fool."

"A damn fool who shot my brother in the face."

Jesse winces at that, but notes the small smirk on Hanzo's face. "I didn't mean to..."

"I know." A pause. "I am not able to forgive you. Not now. But as my brother recovers, I hope I will be able to."

It takes Jesse a moment to really digest his words. When he does, he breaks out into a smile. "That's all I ask."

**Author's Note:**

> Young Genji brings me happiness.


End file.
